Working With Animals - Animal Self-Defence

Working with animals is a worthwhile cause, often undertaken because of the lasting impressions animals leave on humankind with their power, nobility, beauty, and grace. However, some animals are quite different from the photogenic creatures that bedazzle humanity with their charm. Whether these following animals inspire you to conservation efforts, or simply make you squint at the screen in disbelief, they have one thing in common – they have all developed truly inspirational ways to outsmart predators. These methods have kept these animals (photogenic or not) safe for hundreds of years, and they’re absolutely fascinating to read about.The Hognose SnakeWith venomous fangs, you might imagine the hognose snake has no problem defending itself. The problem is that its fangs are at the back of its mouth, and practically useless – a thankful fact for those working with animals. Instead of biting, the hognose snake uses a tactic that has sustained creatures under threat all over the world – it plays dead. However, they don’t merely lie still – these crafty snakes take the concept of playing possum to a whole new level. The snake convulses wildly, flips over onto its back, and lies motionless, even when prodded. In some cases, it accompanies the performance with a lolling tongue, and by spewing blood from its mouth. In fact, the hognose is so dedicated to the role, if flipped onto its stomach, it will immediately flip over to its back again. Now that’s commitment.Dresser CrabsThe dresser crab is undoubtedly one of the most stylish denizens of the animal kingdom – no one working with animals will ever see this much fashion sense! As the crab moves through environments, it scans the ground for objects it can attach to its velcro-like exoskeleton to, to help it blend into the terrain. Should it sense danger (or the opportunity to pose), it will freeze in its tracks and blend seamlessly and sassily into the background.The HagfishThe hagfish isn’t so much a fish as it is a somewhat-sentient mucus gland. In response to attack (or the experimentation of a scientist working with animals) the hagfish secretes a microfibrous slime. When this goo is combined with water, it expands into a gelatinous muck. Drop a single hagfish into a fish tank, and within seconds you’ll have a tank full of, essentially, mucus. This slime not only makes the hagfish extremely difficult to grasp, but can also succeed in gumming up the gills of predators. At this point, the predator usually realises it’s achieved little more than a mouthful of mucus, and swims away - presumably to contemplate the health benefits of vegetarianism.